Third round of Invitation to Tender for Telecom User Segment
ESA Telecom has issued the Invitation to Tender (ITT) no. AO4549 'Integrated Applications and User Terminals' which gives European and Canadian industry an opportunity to propose new end-to-end telecommunication concepts.
This User Segment ITT has already been issued twice before this year. The closing date for proposals in this third round is 31 October 2003.
The User Segment provides an additional dimension to the development capabilities of ESA Telecom, which traditionally focuses on satellites rather than on ground equipment. This reflects recent changes in the satellite communication (satcom) sector. In a saturated TV market, operators and service providers are looking at ways to enlarge their product and service areas. The development of new applications and user terminals will enable this to happen.
The User Segment programme line promotes near-to-market development activities in the area of satellite communications directly affecting the user community. While other ESA Telecom programme lines such as Technology provide the environment for the development of stand-alone products and equipment, the User Segment focuses on key elements integrated in an end-to-end context. In particular this ITT focuses on integrated applications and user terminals that are crucial in determining the attractiveness of the system and in its eventual success in the market place.
Proposed services and applications must follow and include European/Canadian standards and systems (to the extent possible), and lead to fully operational, self-sustaining solutions.
Please note that the Agency may offer a Briefing Meeting for potential Tenderers. This Briefing Meeting is intended in particular for companies with limited experience in preparing proposals under the Agency’s Telecommunications Programme. Should there be sufficient interest from potential bidders, the meeting will be held on 15 September 2003 starting at 10.00 hrs at ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Should you wish to attend, you are kindly requested to confirm your interest not later than 11 September 2003. You will then be informed by 12 September 2003 whether the Briefing Meeting will go ahead.
The ITT is available online from the ESA's Invitation to Tender system, EMITS.
The timeline for this ITT is detailed in the following table:
| ITT AO 4549 – Integrated Applications and Users Integrated Applications and User Terminals (User Segment) 3rd issue | ||
| Task | Start date | End date |
| Tendering period | 08.09.03 | 31.10.03 |
| Briefing | 15.09.03 | 15.09.03 |
| Evaluation | 03.11.03 | 28.11.03 |
